NEW YORK — Ed Marion, an NFL official for 28 years and a head linesman in three Super Bowls, died Monday night at his home in Paoli, Pa. He was 81.
Marion was in the league from 1960-87 and worked playoff games in 20 consecutive seasons. He officiated in the 1971, 1975 and 1977 Super Bowls.
• Ivan Orsen Caesar Jr., a linebacker who played for the Minnesota Vikings in 1991, was fatally shot in an Orlando, Fla., apartment building after a dispute. He was 41.
• New England Patriots receiver Randy Moss announced the formation of Moss Motorsports, and said he hopes to have a team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series by the end of this year.
• Buddy Nix is out as assistant general manager of the San Diego Chargers, with the team saying he retired and his wife saying he resigned.
• The Buffalo Bills will receive $78 million — more than double their calculated 2006 operating income — to play eight games in Toronto over the next five years.
Hart Trophy finalists revealed
NEW YORK — Calgary Flames right wing Jarome Iginla, Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin are the finalists for the Hart Trophy that is awarded to the NHL’s most valuable player. The winner will be announced June 12.
Manchester ensures all-England final
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United set up the first all-English final in the history of the Champions League, beating Barcelona 1-0 behind Paul Scholes’ goal in the 14th minute.
After winning the home-and- home semifinal on 1-0 aggregate, Manchester will meet Chelsea or Liverpool in the final May 21.
Chelsea hosts Liverpool today after a 1-1 tie last week.
• Ronaldo went into hiding after a run-in with cross-dressing prostitutes that prompted police in Brazil to investigate whether to charge one with trying to extort money from the soccer star. Police said Ronaldo committed no crime, but he was accused by one prostitute of using drugs and not wanting to pay. Prostitution is legal in Brazil.
Footnotes.
Ben Hansbrough, who helped Mississippi State advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last month, is transferring to Notre Dame. The guard, whose older brother Tyler Hansbrough was named the AP player of the year, averaged 10.5 points.
• The Chicago Fire signed Paraguayan defender Lider Marmol.
• Ken Schrader will replace the injured Dario Franchitti in Saturday night’s NASCAR race at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Franchitti broke his left ankle last Saturday in a hard crash at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
• Wimbledon officials ruled out scheduling matches on the middle Sunday — except as an “emergency option” in the event of a major weather backlog — and announced champions will each receive $1.49 million, an increase of 5.8 percent.
• World-record holder Asafa Powell won’t race for the next two months because of a chest injury, but the sprinter is expected to be able to run at the Beijing Olympics.
The Associated Press
